Breaking through the weight loss 'wall'

The Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu is credited with saying, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” It's profoundly true for Bree Smith.

by Tonya Stoutt-Brown/Special to The Oak Ridger

The Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu is credited with saying, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." It's profoundly true for Bree Smith.

Smith, who moved to Oak Ridge several years ago, says she was active as a child. Growing up in a rural area of Mississippi gave her plenty of opportunities to get out and get moving. But when she went away to college, the pounds began to pile on.

"Before I knew it, every celebration centered around food," Smith said. "I ate, I drank, I went to parties. I stopped playing sports and simply became a spectator."

Smith also double majored in English and graphic design — both of which kept her behind a desk during school and in the years after graduation. She dealt with her weight the way a lot of people do. She ignored it completely, and eventually just quit weighing herself.

"On New Year's Day of 2010, I had the urge to weigh," Smith said. "I was a whopping 274 pounds. My life changed that very day."

Smith took that first step off the scales and into a new life.

Hitting a Wall

Smith's assault on her extra weight resulted in the loss of 74 pounds. It didn't come easy, but it did come.

And that's as far as it went.

Smith has now joined the many people who have experienced what it's like to hit a weight loss wall, losing weight at a steady and satisfying pace until the numbers on the scale seem to decide they're not going any further.

"That proverbial wall hit me smack in the face," Smith said. "I gained back 10 pounds over an eight-month period. During those eight months, all of the anguish and frustration from nearly a decade of fighting my weight rushed back and consumed me."

Smith's predicament prompted her to apply for the Covenant Health Biggest Winner Fitness Challenge. Each year, Covenant Health selects a team of individuals who want to improve their health and lose weight, to see who can make the greatest strides by the day of the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon.

Diet Reality Check

The first step in the process is for team members to meet individually with Covenant Health registered dietitian Ciara Csanadi. She said Smith's difficulty continuing weight loss isn't too uncommon.

Csanadi said the first and best course of action is to take a good look at what you're eating, how much and when.

"Sometimes it's good to have someone take a look at your eating habits or food log to see if they notice anything obvious," Csanadi said. "It could be something simple like a lack of protein."

Csanadi said a mistake many dieters make is going too long between meals. If the body thinks it's starving, it will kick in to survival mode instead of weight-burning mode. She said you should never go longer than four hours without eating.

Other weight loss saboteurs can be dehydration, and too many calories from nutrition supplements.

Changing Up Exercise

On the exercise side, team trainer and life coach Chris O'Hearn said one of the greatest pitfalls is doing the same exercises with no variation.

"Our muscles get used to doing the same thing over and over again," he said, "and they get better at doing it."

O'Hearn said it's important to mix up your fitness routine to challenge the muscles and keep the weight loss burn going. He recommends increasing the weights you use, pushing yourself to a greater level of intensity, and adding new and different exercises to "keep the muscles guessing."

That's something Smith is launching into, taking up hiking instead of just running.

"In fact, if I didn't have a full-time job, I might very well be a full-time hiker," Smith said. "I've decided I can never live in flat lands again. Ever."

She's also started taking part in a spin class at Fort Sanders Health and Fitness Center with other team members.

A Deeper Cause

But O'Hearn said one of the biggest reasons weight loss efforts fail is because of faulty belief systems.

"Sometimes when we look deep down inside, we don't really believe we can achieve the goal we have set," O'Hearn explained. "We need to be able to visualize what we want."

Smith heartily agrees on that point, saying she abandoned her focus. "Old habits truly do die hard, and lying to yourself is much too easy," she said.

Additionally, O'Hearn said dieters often give up too soon.

"We want that pill, or that exercise, or that one quick fix that will give us what we want as fast as possible," O'Hearn said. "It is about letting go of that notion and understanding the best things in life are the things we have to work for. If we get something quick we usually cannot sustain it."

"Looking back I know that I had grown tired of planning healthy meals," Smith said. "I became irritable with such a strict, early morning workout schedule. I just wanted to reach my goal weight and enjoy life – without having to try so hard."

Smith said that's where she feels she failed herself. "After all of that hard work, I was attempting to convince myself that being healthy should be effortless."

But now Smith has decided giving up on her weight loss goals is not an option.

"By the grace of all that is good, I've been given another chance to improve my life," Smith said. "With my focus front and center once again, I am fully aware that nothing comes easy. But nothing comes to those who sit and wait and eat potato chips, either."

She can now frequently be seen running, hiking and biking the greenways along Melton Lake Drive, Emory Valley Road and Haw Ridge Park — with renewed determination.

When you see her there, give her a wave or a thumbs up. …

She's on a journey of a thousand steps and a race to personal victory.